NHS patients are to be offered a greater level of choice regarding where they can be treated from 31 October 2023.
PIDMAS (Patient Initiated Digital Mutual Aid System) is being launched on 31 October 2023. The aim is to offer patients a potential alternative choice for where they may receive their treatment.
From October 31, patients who have been waiting over 40 weeks for treatment who do not have an appointment date within the next eight weeks, could be eligible to request to move a different hospital to be treated sooner.
Those patients who are eligible will be contacted by the hospital that they are under, either via letter or text message, and provided with a web link and telephone number to submit a request to explore the options of potentially having their care transferred to another provider.
Once the patient has submitted their details, either by the web link or the telephone number this will be reviewed by the hospital, and if the patient is deemed clinically and socially appropriate to move the process will begin. The patient can decide the distance which they are prepared to travel (either 50 miles, 100 miles, or nationally) It is the role of the ICB to make every effort to identify an appropriate alternative hospital. If an appropriate alternative hospital cannot be found the patient will remain with their current provider and will receive an appointment as soon as one becomes available.
There may be circumstances in which it is not clinically appropriate to move to a different hospital and/ or alternative capacity is not available.
Patients have been advised that they should wait to be contacted and they do not need to contact their hospital or GP practice.
More information can be found by searching ‘PIDMAS’ on the Gov.uk or NHS.uk website.